Saturday, January 23, 2010

It's a funny thing. We've been told technology will lead us down the path to the disintegration of personal relationships, as we move away from personal contact and get lost in 'that hopeless little screen' (Leonard Cohen- I expect he meant the tv but the sentiment is a nice fit). So I was curious to see what I'd learn when I read Iggy Pintado's Connection Generation.

I'm not entirely sure what I thought Connection Generation was going to be like, but as it turned out it was much meatier and more densely-packed with information than I might have expected. To my surprise, it isn't even just aimed at those of us already digital converts.

In fact a lot of the book is not about computers or technology, but rather it's about people. What they like, what they do and how they do it. Being as how I am a Great Big Fan of the study of strategies; how people use them and sometimes, how people put up with strategies that don't support their outcomes, this book appealed to me. It is in many ways, a "How-To" for those "other-ways-to-skin-that-cat", and peek behind the curtain to see what other people are using successfully as their strategies in daily life in this ever-changing world.

If I have a criticism of the book it was that it caught me ill-prepared for the amount of work it would generate from me - writing notes, checking out sites new to me, and pondering how to fold these new learnings into my strategies as I move forward.

Just as we have different personality styles, I now learn that we also have different meta-programs for how we connect and approach new technology as the landscape for what's possible changes. In the same way understanding our different personality differences let us communicate more effectively with others, so too, understanding our connection preferences and noticing those of others, we can more easily accomodate this difference. Perhaps too, we can gain some new insight into weaknesses in our own strategies around connection, and add elements that others have used to good effect, to make ours even more successful.

This is not an easy book to read when you're feeling lazy. You'll get a lot from reading Connection Generation. More if you bring your wits with you.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The new year is a notorius time for people to talk about resolutions and think about setting goals for the year ahead. Often people jump into thinking about goals without spending time thinking about:

1) What they want
2) What purpose it serves
3) What the potential downside might be, to getting that goal.

Which is to say, that getting one goal is not much good... if it means that the really important outcomes you want, are jeopardised by you getting that. Let me give you an example. A business goal could be, with good intentions, to reduce expenses within the company. Now if this is achieved, but at the cost of funding ongoing and systematic marketing plans for the business, then the goal can be achieved, and the health of the business be at peril, in the process.

So getting the mix right, and maintaining good ecology with setting goals and implementing a system to achieve them must have at the outset, good clearly defined parameters about what the person wants to achieve in a more global context, long before refining down to the individual goals that may be set as a means to achieve that broader outcome.

It doesn't matter whether we are setting personal goals, family goals, or goals for our business. Understanding and clearly articulating our purpose in setting our goals, can make all the difference and let us achieve just what we set out to do. By setting our goals with a consistent purpose in mind, it allows us to focus in a way that aligns our actions with our objectives, across a range of contexts. That's a healthy way to set goals, and allows more scope for really being motivated to achieve, and be happy with the results when they come.

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Small Business articles. Find ideas to help you develop your business and personal development. Topics to make to make you think, explore ideas and DO!.Find tips, how-to articles to help you in business and life. - Lindy Asimus Newcastle NSW Australia
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